Leap of Faith
by Lucy Ruth
Summary: Elle has a secret, a big one, but can she cope alone, or will her home life destroy her before she tells anyone and lets other people in? (Rubbish summary, I know, but I don't want to give much away and I suck at summaries, I promise you the story is better) Rated T for potential themes in the making, plus i'm never too sure about ratings, so better safe than sorry ;) Enjoy xxx
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

**This is my first Waterloo Road fanfic, and it follows the same sort of idea as the show, in that it's a slightly exaggerated situation, that's not hugely likely to happen and be sorted in the way it is here, it's a dramatization of 'everyday' life struggles.  
I own the Armstrong Family, and any other character names you don't recognise, though mostly they are mentioned as fillers like in a register etc., but all other characters belong to BBC/Waterloo Road.  
The story itself is centred around my character, but will involve other characters, though largely some of the smaller 'guest stars' such as Sally Froggatt, because often, I like them as much as the main cast.  
It's set in roughly series 3/4, mainly because I haven't watched any further, and also Rachel Mason is my favourite head :)**

* * *

A shrill, but muffled beeping woke Elle up from her half-asleep state. Momentarily confused due to lack of sleep, she wondered where she was, then recognised the artworks done by her 4 year old sister. Lottie's room, again. She'd nearly forgotten the events of the previous evening that had led to her comforting her youngest sister to sleep again; she must have fallen asleep with her.

Groaning and stretching, she carefully got up without disturbing Lottie and walked back to her room to silence the piercing sound of the alarm clock. Deciding she had a few minutes of her own, she hopped into the shower in the hope it would wake her up, and somehow make the next few hours be less tiresome than usual. A fruitless wish, in reality, she thought to herself.

She threw on her uniform, and towel dried her hair as far as she could, looking wistfully at her hairdryer in the bin, which had completely given up the ghost the previous evening. Looking in the mirror, she noticed her uniform was a little small. 'Great' she thought, 'another thing to add to the list of things to buy if I get any money...'

Deciding she could put it off no longer, she ambled slowly towards her sisters' rooms. She paused outside the doors, wondering which to wake up first, and eventually decided to wake up Lottie first, and give Maddy a few extra minutes in bed. She walked into Lottie's room and opened the blinds to let the sunshine in.

'I don't wanna get up' moaned Lottie from under her duvet.

'Lottie, please!' begged Elle 'you have to, you've got to go to school, come on' she coaxed. 'Please?'

Lottie grumbled in response and pushed back her pink duvet, as Elle ferreted through her drawers and picked out some suitable, clean uniform for the cold late October day. Satisfied that Lottie was up, she ran quickly to the kitchen and found the small cupcake hidden at the back of the fridge, and put a single, lit pink candle into it, before walking back up to Maddy's room. Lottie came out just as she walked past and giggled with excitement, following Elle to Maddy's room at the end of the hallway. Slowly, Elle opened the door and Lottie ran in, jumped on Maddy and squealed 'Happy Birthday!'.

'Huh?' Maddy groaned as she rubbed her eyes and Elle tuned the light on. She spotted the cake in Elle's hands and grinned madly. 'It's my birthday!' she smiled.

'Officially 7 years old!' Elle laughed, handing the cake to her to blow out the candle. 'Make a wish' she added, smiling.

Maddy squeezed her eyes shut and thought long and hard before enthusiastically blowing out the candle, as if she had to blow out 7 in one breath, not just 1.

'I wished mum would come home' she whispered, smiling at her older sister.

Elle sighed. 'You know you're not really meant to say what you wished for, it's a secret!' she said, poking the end of Maddy's nose as she did, making the small girl giggle.

'That's why I whispered it, so only you hear, that way the fairies won't know I told anyone, and it will still come true' Maddy responded earnestly. The young girl's innocence was heartbreaking to Elle. She sighed as she gave her sister a big hug and put on a brave face, for their sake, she had to be strong for them.

'Come on, lie-in's over, time to get up!' she called, heading back downstairs with Lottie in tow to make breakfast.

'Can I have coco pops?' Lottie asked innocently.

Elle sighed as she looked in the cupboard. 'We're fresh out of coco pops, how about cornflakes?' she asked hopefully. Looking down at the disappointed face of her little sister broke her heart, but there was nothing she could do about it, they couldn't afford to but coco pops anymore, not when they had other food available. Elle was acutely aware that one day, the money would run out, and the thought of what would happen then made her shudder. 'Please?' she added, looking back to her sister as she pulled the box out of the cupboard.

'Ok.' She huffed, then smiled to show she wasn't angry at her sister. Lottie loved her big sisters more than anything in the world, but she did wish her mum would come home, then they could be a proper family and could go out like they used to, to the park and the cinema and all the other things they used to do together. Elle said mum had had to go away for a while, and Lottie didn't understand why mum got a long holiday, and they had to stay at home and go to school. It didn't seem fair.

Elle looked at the small girl's dreamy face and smiled. She couldn't imagine life without her 2 crazy sisters, no matter how tiresome it sometimes may be. She poured 3 bowls of cereal and put a small amount of milk in each one, as Maddy appeared at the doorway, in her uniform ready to go.

'Well done honey.' Elle smiled, relieved that that wasn't a battle they were going to have that day as the 3 of them sat down and ate their rations of cereal.

Elle went back up to her room to pick up her bags and noticed the time with a shock. All the other clocks in the house had broken, and she hadn't realised it has 8:30 already. She ran back downstairs and ushered the girls to the door to put on shoes and coats, which she sadly observed were also too small.

Eventually they left the house, and Elle thanked God that they didn't live far from the primary school as she dropped them off by the gate. At least she wasn't going to get hassle for them being late, but she anxiously looked at the time on her phone and realised she was going to have to run, as she needed to be at school in 5 minutes, and it was a 20 minute walk away.

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**So that was a bit of an introduction really, I promise I'll include actual waterloo road characters soon ;)**

**Hope you enjoyed it :)**

**Like I said, I've never really attempted something like this before, and in the past I have tended to lose the will to write if I don't get feedback, so please review etc. to keep me sane, and you just might get more ;)  
(even 1 word anonymous reviews are appreciated, though proper ones are preferable :P)**

**I look forward to hearing from you, and posting more :D xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, due to 2 very lovely people who have made my day, I decided to put this up a little earlier than planned :)  
Hope you enjoy it x**

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Sally Froggatt sat in form time watching the door. It was already 8:55, and Elle was late, again. She just hoped her best friend made it in before Mr Wilding took the register, as Elle was always late recently, and he had started picking up on it. There seemed to be something up with Elle at the moment, and the last thing Sally wanted was for her to get in trouble.

The door opened and Sally's head snapped up, but her spirits dropped again as she saw her form tutor walk through and sit down at his desk. Now Elle was in for it, as even if she got in before he took the register, he'd still see her walk in late, and that was just as bad.

'Nick Adams?' called Mr Wilding, starting the register

'Yes sir'

'Clodagh Anderson?'

'Yes sir'

'Elle Armstrong?'

Silence.

"Elle?" Mr Wilding called again. 'Has anyone seen Elle this morning?' he asked, looking at Sally.

Everyone's heads tuned around to look at Sally, sitting at the back of the class next to Elle's empty seat. Everyone knew the pair were thick as thieves ever since Elle had arrived during the previous year, when they'd hit it off instantly.

Sally cursed under her breath as she covered for her friend, 'I think she went to the toilets, I saw her going that way just before the bell'. She prayed she wouldn't get caught in the lie, and that Elle would turn up soon with a similar excuse made ready.

Mr Wilding shrugged and continued the register. 'Janeece Bryant?'

Sally ignored the sounds of her classmates answering as she gazed out the window, wishing Elle to walk through the door.

'Sally?' Mr Wilding raised his voice, calling her name for the 3rd time, pulling her quickly out of her daydream.

'Oh, yes sir' she answered hurriedly.

'Pay attention please!' Mr Wilding sighed. 'Chlo Grainger?'

'Yes sir'

Suddenly the door opened and Elle rushed in, slightly out of breath. 'Sorry I'm late sir, errr... my... I left my bag at home and had to go back to get it halfway here.' She fumbled for an excuse to please her teacher's clearly annoyed face.

'Oh, well, Sally said she'd seen you heading to the toilets just before the bell.' Mr Wilding wasn't convinced. Luckily, Elle was a good liar, and instantly replied.

'Yeah, I did, I'd just got in and really needed the loo, and I hadn't noticed the time, sorry sir, it won't happen again' she said, and rushed to her seat, not giving him a chance to respond.

'You're late again' Sally whispered as Elle sat down next to her.

'Yeah, sorry about that. You covered for me?!' Elle asked in surprise.

Sally grinned. 'Of course I did, I always do, that's what friends do, right? Though you nearly blew it when you came up with a different excuse when you came in!'

'Yeah, oops, at least I've found a use for all those drama lessons, I think I pulled it off alright!' Elle winked. 'I guess we'll just have to coordinate excuses next time, huh?' Sally grinned back.

'Elle, you walked in late, and now you're just sitting there chatting through me talking' Mr Wilding said, surprising them by being right by their desk. Elle shrinked back, unsure what to say or do now. Sally looked at her, then said 'Sorry sir, my fault, I was just asking -'

'- well don't, use your time for that, and my time to concentrate on what I'm telling you.' Mr Wilding interrupted, and gave each girl a pile of papers. 'Now, hand these out to the rest of the class please, girls' he said, walking back to the front. 'Now, as I told you last week...' he continued what he had previously been saying, and the rest of form time went smoothly until the bell rang.

'Elle, could you just wait a second please?' Mr Wilding called as the class noisily filed out, heading to first lesson. Sally hung back by the door as Elle walked back to the teacher's desk. 'No, Sally, that's ok, just go to your class' he added as he spotted Sally waiting by the door. Sally obligingly left.

'So, why were you late this morning?' He asked, leaning on his desk.

'Like I said, I-' Mr Wilding cut her off.

'Don't give me that, I know you're lying. Sally tried her best to cover for you, but when you came in you were out of breath and had flushed cheeks like you'd just been running. Why did you need to run to school?' He asked.

'I was just late' Elle replied feebly.

'You've been "just late" quite a lot recently, is there something wrong?' Mr Wilding asked. Elle squirmed awkwardly, not wanting to give an answer. 'Come on Elle, this isn't like you.' Elle still made no reply.

'Fine, but if you're late again, I'm afraid I'll have to report you to Miss Mason, now go to your next lesson.' He said, exasperated. Elle willingly hurried off, glad to have made it out without having to explain herself.

* * *

**So, does this still live up to your expectations? Feedback is, as usual, greatly appreciated :)  
Like I say, it keeps me sane, and tends to result in faster updates too, as I'm much more inspired to write new chapters if I think people are actually going to read it ;)  
I look forward to hearing from you all :) xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much to those who reviewed, it really does put a smile on my face! (or, more accurately, an ear-to-ear grin!)  
In response to the 'guest' reviewer, I am trying to keep the chapters longer, the last one was a bit short, but obviously, sometimes, it gets to a natural break, so I can't always help it ;) but it's good to see someone wants more :)  
****I'm going to try and upload 1 chapter per day as a form of compromise here, but i'm not going to make any promises :)  
Hope you enjoy it as much as you seem to have been so far :) xxx**

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Sally smiled at Elle as she walked through the door into their art class. Miss Campbell looked up, and gestured towards the seat next to Sally. Elle gladly sat down and Miss Campbell came across with some paper and a paint set.

'We're continuing with our still life projects, moving onto watercolours. You haven't missed much.' She said, smiling. Elle breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't about to get massacred again for being late.

'I told her that Mr Wilding kept you back.' Sally explained as they painted the rather pathetic looking bowl of fruit that sat in the middle of the table.

'Thanks.' Elle smiled 'That's twice you've covered for me today, whatever can I do to repay you?' she smirked. Sally looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Oh, no, I know that face!' Elle exclaimed as she saw Sally's expression. 'No more dares, please!' she giggled.

'Fine, I guess I'll let you off, if you tell me why you're actually late?' Sally responded.

Now it was Elle's turn to look thoughtful. On one hand, she didn't want to tell anyone what was going on, because she was afraid of what would happen if the authorities found out that they were living unsupervised, abandoned by their mum. The absolute last thing she wanted was for them to be split up. On the other hand, she trusted Sally, and they were supposed to be best friends, which meant no secrets. Also, she really could do with some help, she was really struggling, and even just someone to come over and keep an eye on the girls from time to time so she could do her homework in peace would be so helpful. Elle was torn. Thankfully she was saved by the bell as the lesson ended and there was a mad rush to put the paintings on the racks and wash paintbrushes in the sink.

* * *

'So, this lesson we will be thinking about our own history. Our family history. Can anyone think of a way to examine you individual family history?' Mrs Jones asked.

Elle and Sally looked at each other, already bored to tears. 'Can it really be only 5 minutes into the lesson?' Sally asked, faking a yawn. 'I hate History.'

'Sally, as you're clearly an expert in this topic area, maybe you know. How do we begin to trace our family history?'

'Miss, you type your name into one of those family history trace things, and they do it for you.' Sally joked.

'Anymore of that, and you're out of my class and into the cooler.' Mrs Jones snapped back at her. 'Does anyone know?'

'A family tree.' someone across the room said.

'Yes, that's right, so, this lesson, we will be drawing your family tree, as far back as you can go, then for homework, you will speak to your relatives and ask them to help fill in the gaps and go back even further. There's coloured pens at the front and you have the rest of the lesson. Any questions? Good, off you go then.' The teacher said, handing a sheet of A3 paper to everyone before sitting down behind her desk.

Sally immediately started drawing her family tree, starting with her mum, then her little brother, Ben, at which point she got a bit stuck.

'I don't know who my dad is, and I've never met my grandparents.' She said. 'So what do I do now?' she asked, looking up at Elle.

Elle sat there staring at her sheet of paper, on which she'd scribbled 3 names, and tried to keep back the tears. It wasn't fair, it was like everyone around her was trying to rub it in that her family was a failure. Screw that, she barely even had a family, not anymore anyway. She jumped up, stuffed her sheet into her satchel and ran out of the classroom, not trusting herself to sit in the room a moment longer.

'Elle?' Sally called, worried.

'Elle Armstrong, where do you think you're going?' shouted Mrs Jones, enraged.

'Miss, I don't think she's feeling very well, can I go and find her?' Sally asked, having already packed her bag and walked halfway to the door. Mrs Jones said nothing, looking shocked, and Sally took the opportunity to run out, before she told her otherwise.

Running through the corridors, she saw a door swing shut at the end, and ran towards it, eventually finding Elle in the girls changing rooms, crying.

'Elle, what's wrong?' Sally asked, as she dropped her bag and sat down next to her friend, putting an arm around her shoulders.

'Everything!' Elle sniffed back, trying to hide her tears.

'Is this something to do with why you're always late?' Sally asked, starting to put the pieces together.

Elle sniffed, rubbed her eyes and turned to look at her friend.

'My mum disappeared in July, walked out on us. Since then, I've been looking after Lottie and Maddy by myself, and sometimes I just can't get them out the house on time. You know, sometimes they don't want to get up, or they fight about brushing their teeth and hair, or they don't want whatever I've given them for breakfast, or...or... it just never ends, and I don't know how much longer I can cope.' Elle finally admitted, and Sally's heart was filled with pity for her friend, just thinking about what she must be going through.

'What can I do to help?' Was Sally's instant reply, which brought a smile to Elle's face, as she realised what a close friend she had there.

'Anything' Elle said, smiling. 'Would you really do that for me?'

'Of course!' Sally laughed, 'Don't you think I've missed coming round all year?'

Elle laughed too and hugged her friend, relieved to get it off her chest. 'Just promise me you won't tell anyone.'

'Don't be ridiculous Elle, do you really think I would do that?'

'Ha, no, I guess not.' Elle smirked, remembering when Sally's mum had abandoned Sally and her brother to go on holiday for a week.

'Definitely not.' Sally corrected.

'Shouldn't you girls be in lessons?' Miss Koreshi appeared behind them, and noted Elle's' slightly red eyes.

'Sorry Miss, I wasn't feeling well.' Said Elle meekly

'Well then you should go and see the nurse, not sit in the changing rooms. Now go, both of you!' She exclaimed, unconvinced, at which both girls got up and started heading back to history. As they got there, the bell rang, and the class began coming out, so they joined the rest of the class in leaving for lunch.

* * *

**So, what do people think? (I promise i'll bring in Rachel Mason later...she is my favourite character, so you can count on that!)  
****Reviews are greatly appreciated, and it really doesn't take that long, you don't even have to log in! (HINT HINT!)  
I look forward to hearing how much you all loved it (or didn't, if that's the case...)  
Thanks in advance :) xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, I haven't got as many reviews as I would really like, but i'm hoping that a bit of bribery in the form of an extra chapter today might spur people on to leave feedback?  
I'm not overly happy with this chapter, but it's a necessary part of the plot line, so there you go...**

* * *

'Elle!' yelled Lottie as she ran across the playground, followed by Maddy.

'Did you have a good day, babies?' Elle asked, tickling them as they ran into her.

'Yeah, Mrs Newlands brought in cake and everyone in the class had some and then we played musical statues and then...and then...'

'Sounds brilliant, and this evening's going to be even better, my friend Sally's here and she's gonna coma and play with us!' Elle said as she picked up Lottie and held Maddy's hand, beginning to walk back to the gates, where Sally stood, watching the whole scene play out.

'Like a party?' Maddy asked.

'Yeah, like a party, though Sally might come round more often if you guys like it.' Elle replied, smiling as their faces lit up at the idea of a party.

'Did I hear we're having a party?' Sally grinned at Elle.

'Whatever keeps them happy!' Elle whispered, grinning back as the 4 walked round the corner to the Armstrong's house.

As soon as they went in, Lottie and Maddy charged upstairs to get their toys and Elle and Sally walked into the kitchen. Sally opened the fridge to look for a drink, and found it almost empty, save an almost empty packet of cheese, and half a carton of milk. She turned to the cupboard, finding similar sights, with only a few cans of baked beans, a packet of pasta and some cornflakes.

'What do you eat? You have literally no food!' Sally exclaimed.

'We're kinda running out...' Elle sighed. 'And I don't know how much longer I can afford to feed us, there's only so much money left. I mean, I've got a couple of my mum's credit cards, and I've known the details for year, cos I did all the shopping, and we still get all the benefits, but I have to pay the rent and bills...'

Sally looked shocked for a minute, then ran back to the door.

'Where are you going?' Elle called after her, following.

'To get you some food!' Sally replied, 'I'll be back soon.'

And with that she ran down the street to her house, a few streets away.

At that point, Lottie and Maddy came back downstairs, having changed out of their uniforms and brought down their current favourite board game, 'Monopoly Junior'.

'Can we play, please please please please please?' Lottie begged

'Where did Sally go?' Maddy asked.

'Homework first, then games, and Sally just went out to get something, she'll be back by the time you've done your homework and then we can all play together.' Elle said, and the 2 girls moaned, but went to their bags and took out their books, and sat down at the coffee table to do their work.

'Can you test me on my spellings?' Maddy asked

'Sure, give them here.' Elle said, sitting down on the sofa.

'Ok, first one, amazed'

'A-M-A-S-E-D' Maddy spelt

'Nearly, it's a 'Z' not 'S'. But otherwise, that was good.' Elle encouraged her. 'Next one, closed'

'C-L-O-Z-E-D'

'Ah, now that one, it's a 'S', not a 'Z' like amazed has.'

'It's so confusing, I'll never be able to spell them all' Maddy whined.

'Don't be silly, they're just difficult, and yes, confusing, but you'll get there honey' Elle gave her a quick hug, as she heard the doorbell ring. 'That will be Sally, how about we have a break from homework now'

'Yeah, homework sucks' Lottie agreed, and Elle laughed. 'Better get used to it, you're gonna get it for the next 14 years!' she said, as she opened the door to see Sally with several carrier bags full of food.

'Where did you get all that?' Elle asked, amazed.

'Our cupboard.' Sally replied simply. 'Mum's taken Ben to the park, and she'll never notice one less packet of this and that...' she explained, as Elle stood there, speechless.

'You did that for us?' She said, eventually.

Sally looked up and laughed. 'You didn't think I was gonna let my best friend and her adorable little sisters starve, did you?' she asked, equally as amazed as Elle had been.

Elle had tears in her eyes again, touched by the gesture. 'Thank you so much, you have no idea what this means.' She spluttered, and Sally pulled her into a hug.

'So, what do you fancy for dinner? There's frozen pizzas over there...' Sally pointed at one of the bags, and Lottie and Maddy instantly made a beeline for the bag, pulling out their favourite pizzas.

'Ham and pineapple!' 'Cheese!' They both yelled at the same time.

'We can't have both, so choose one between you, and we'll have the other another day' Elle reasoned, knowing that they couldn't binge on the food, or they'd end up with nothing again. Eventually, the 2 girls settled for cheese, and Sally took off the wrappings and put it in the oven, as Elle unpacked the bags and filled up the cupboards and fridge with the food Sally had brought.

'Are you sure your mum won't mind you giving us all this?' Elle asked, as she tried to find space for the various bottles and jars in the cupboards.

'Seriously, she's unlikely to notice, and if she does, I'll just say I was hungry when I got home from school, she never gets in till about 6 anyway, so it's not unreasonable to think that me and Ben would have eaten all this over the course of the year...' Sally explained, and Elle smiled.

'I don't know what I'd do without you!' She grinned, as they sat down to eat the pizza.

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**So, please, please, please tell me what you're thinking, even if it's not a positive comment, and comment means the world to me.!  
Any other unconfident writer will tell you that, and as this is my first of this kind, I really could do with the help that reviews give me! Please?! Thanks! xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed/followed so far, I almost can't believe all the positive feedback I'm getting, keep it coming ;) !  
I'm quite busy with exams this week, so I'm not sure how regularly I'll be able to update, but after this Friday, they're all over, so then I can concentrate on this :)**

* * *

Sally worried as she walked home. Elle was struggling more than she let on, and she knew from personal experience how hard it was to look after a child for 1 week, let alone 2 for several months. If she didn't do something soon, things were only going to get worse and worse. Giving them spare food was an immediate solution, but Sally wasn't stupid; it was not going to work in the long term, there was no way Elle could look after her sisters forever, no matter how much she may want to, it just wasn't practical.

Elle had only just begun to trust her with this secret, and she was scared that if she tried to push it further, Elle would just shut her out again, and that wasn't what she wanted at all.

Sally thought back to what had happened when her mum left her and Ben alone. Ben had ended up trapped in a fridge, but it could have been so much worse, if Miss Mason and Mr Wilding hadn't been there for her, to sort it out. In her mind, it was the only logical thing to do, to tell their form tutor, or the head herself. This couldn't go on for much longer.

* * *

The normal morning rush was on again, but this time, Elle was determined to make it into school on time. The last thing she wanted was Miss Mason getting involved. The head had a reputation for finding out the dark secrets of the students in her care, no matter how farfetched and well kept they may have been.

'Maddy! Lottie!' Elle called up the stairs. 'Time to go!' she added.

Surprisingly, the 2 girls came charging down, smiling and laughing. Elle wondered why, but then she remembered, it was the school PGL trip today, and they would be going to Cornwall with their classes for the rest of the week. No wonder they were so happy to go to school.

'Ok, so your lunches are here, have you got all the clothes and stuff you need?' Elle asked the excited girls.

'Yes, everything!' They squealed back.

'Toothbrush?

'Yes!'

'Hairbrush?

'Yes!'

'Towel?'

'Yes!'

'Toothpaste?'

'Yes!'

'Wellies?'

'Yes!'

'Spare clothes?'

'Yes!'

'Ok, you're all set, let's go then!' And with that, the 3 left the house half an hour earlier than they had the day before. Elle dropped them by the school gate, with hugs and kisses all around.

'Have a good trip!' she called after them, as they ran off to where their classes were being registered and put on coaches. Looking at her watch, she couldn't help but smile, she had ages to get to school, so there was no reason for Mr Wilding to be angry at her today.

Walking through her school gates 20 minutes later, Elle spotted Sally chatting to Janeece and Chlo, and ran over to them. Putting her hands over Sally's eyes she said 'Guess who?'

Sally laughed and turned around to face her friend. 'Wow, you go from being late to being positively early!' she exclaimed. 'Whatever will Mr Wilding say? She said, winking.

'Nothing, because I've done nothing wrong!' she winked back, and the 2 girls looked at each other.

'Yet!' they said in unison, and burst out laughing.

'I was thinking...' Sally began to say, as they walked towards the school building

'Oh, that's never a good sign!' Elle joked.

'Oy! Anyway, as I was saying, I think... I think that we should tell someone.' She said, meekly.

'Oh.' Elle said flatly. 'I thought we were going just fine.' She replied.

'Well, yeah, but you shouldn't have to do all that, you're still a kid and-'

'-Sally, if we tell anyone, they'll split us all up and send us off to foster homes, to live with random strangers, and we'll never see each other again. I've worked so hard to keep us together, I'm not gonna ruin that now!' she snapped, and walked off to their form room

Sally watched her go, her face falling. 'That went well!' she mumbled to herself. She'd lost Elle's trust now; she'd pushed her too far. She could only hope that maybe Elle would come round, or at least let her carry on to help her as she had done the previous night. Eventually, Sally decided the best thing to do was to go to form and apologise to Elle. Even though she wouldn't truly mean it, at least if it kept them together, it would be worth the little white lie. Then she would just wait until Elle was ready to tell someone who could actually help her. Elle had common sense, and eventually, that would rule out. Sally just had to hope that would be sooner, rather than later.

Walking down to their form room, sally spotted Elle sitting at her usual seat at the back, and went in and sat down next to her. Elle didn't look up.

'I'm sorry.' She said quietly. Still Elle said nothing, so she carried on. 'I shouldn't have said that, it's your life and I can't interfere with the way you run it. Just let me help you as a friend?' She asked cautiously.

Elle turned around slowly and looked at her friend. 'It's ok; you were only trying to help. You are right, I should tell someone, but if the authorities find out, they'll take them away, and I'm not risking that. So we'll just have to carry on and keep this a secret, yeah?' she said, smiling shyly at her friend.

Sally smiled, relieved. Elle hadn't shut her out again, and she had even started to come round to the idea of asking for help, but she still seemed opposed to it. 'Well, that will change over time.' She thought to herself, as Mr Wilding came through the door and began to take the register.

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**So, what do you think? As usual, I love reading your comments, so please leave them :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**WOW! Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed/followed/favourited so far, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the number of email notifications I had!  
Special thanks have to go to Waterlooroad9, Rachelmasonfan25 and Daydreams-About-Fallen-Stars for all your outstanding continued support, I really appreciate it, thanks :)**

* * *

Elle walked home, relieved to have the house to herself and to not have to worry about looking after her sisters for the first time in several months. She had to admit, it was a freeing feeling, but she just couldn't give up her sisters to social services, the very thought of it sent shivers up her spine.

Opening the door, she decided to put on a film and just blob about for the evening, maybe even do some of her homework before 10 o'clock at night. 'Now that would be a change!' She thought. She put one of the frozen pizzas in the oven, and ambled over to the shelves full of DVDs, trying to pick one to watch. Eventually, she settled for Frozen, despite the fact she had seen it several times before. Man, she loved that film!

Half an hour later, she was snuggled under blankets in front of the TV, with a plate of pizza and thoroughly enjoying the film.

'Let it go, let it go! And I'll rise like the break of dawn.  
Let it go, let it go! That perfect girl is gone!  
Here I stand in the light of day!  
Let the storm rage oooooonnnnnnn!' Elle jumped up on the sofa, hitting the high note, before losing balance and toppling over into a pile of cushions and blankets. She laughed as she lay there, and nearly didn't hear the doorbell through the combined sound of the film and her laughter.

She got up to answer the door, wondering who it could be. Sally wasn't coming over, her mum was out and she had to babysit Ben for the evening, and she didn't know anyone else who would come knocking on her door at this time of night.

She opened the door to reveal a man in his late 30's. He was quite good looking, with messy blonde hair and a medium build. He was well dressed, as though he was quite rich, though he didn't look like to sort of person to be a well respected business man. In fact, he looked quite rough and intimidating. Elle suspected there was some illicit background to his wealth, and that made her uncomfortable as he smiled at her with a set of perfect whitened teeth.

'Why hello there.' He said, with a slight snarl.

'Sorry, who are you?' Elle replied rudely.

'I'm a friend of your mother's, and she owes me money.' He replied, pushing the door open and coming in. Elle tried to push the door shut, but he stood in the way. 'This can't be good.' She thought. Her mum hadn't had the most reputable background. In fact, she'd got in with a bad crowd, and made her money in a way that made Elle squirm at the thought. She thought she recognised the man, and now she understood why. He wasn't her mum's friend, he was her boss, and if she owed him money, him being here was bad. Very bad.

'Well, she's not here, and you can't come in, so please leave us alone.' She answered bravely, but the snarling smile on the man's face only widened.

'That's not very polite!' he replied, but made no attempt to leave.

'Please go, my dad will be back in a second, and I think it's best if you go before he returns.' Elle was scared, and she used a technique that they'd been taught before; use the idea that an angry dad, older brother or other respectable male would come and see off the offender if they refused to leave, but looking back at the man, she could see it wasn't going to work, he still had a sinister smile on his face, and was coming further into the house.

'Oh, is he now? Only, I had the impression that your _dad_ is a random stranger, or rather, a paying client of mine!' he sneered back at her.

Elle's heart was pumping, and she searched desperately for a weapon or some other way to defend herself. The only thing that she could be thankful for was that Lottie and Maddy were away, so he couldn't lay a finger on them.

The man lunged forwards, pinning Elle against the wall as she struggled against him to get free. ' You see, your mum stopped coming to work a long time ago, and I really can't have any more of that, I have a business to run, you know? I was intending to come here to rob her to get the money she owed me, but I saw you through the window, and actually, a new employee would be much better for me.'

Elle wanted to scream, but no sound came out. All she could do was struggle fruitlessly against his vice-like grip on her arms and hope he wasn't serious in what he was saying. But a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach told her he was serious, deadly serious, and that made her terrified. As a last resort, she brought her knee up and he groaned and relaxed his grip for a second. That was all Elle needed to make a dash for the open door, but he recovered quickly and grabbed her leg as she ran past him. As she fell heavily and hit her head on the doorframe, he growled angrily and hit her across the face, climbing onto her and squashing the air out of her lungs.

Elle was petrified, she couldn't breathe and the world was spinning slightly around her. She was scared about what would happen if she passed out, so in a last ditch attempt to see him off, she scratched his face viciously with her painted nails and blood poured down his cheek.

Angrily, he stood up, clutching his cheek and kicked her a couple of times, before kneeling down next to her and whispering in her ear.

'You haven't seen the last of me.'

He left, slamming the door behind him.

Elle lay there, struggling to breathe through the pain in her chest and losing blood from the back of her head, but filled with relief that he had gone. She tried to sit up, but the room started to darken, and she blacked out.

* * *

**So, I hadn't really intended for this to be a 'dark/evil' fic, but this kinda had to happen for the plot line to progress... what do you think?**


	7. Chapter 7

**:) thank you to the reviewers etc. (again) it really does help!**

* * *

When Elle woke up, it was light. That was a bad sign, it was never light at 6 am in October. She was confused as to why she was on the floor, and then remembered what had happen last night. She started trembling and tears ran down her cheeks as she sat up and curled up into a ball. She sat there like that for a few minutes, then decided that she couldn't stay there forever, and had to get up and face the world.

Noticing that she was covered in blood, she decided to take a shower to clean herself up a bit. The hot water burned her skin, but its soothing power calmed her down, as she watched the swirls of red water at her feet. Gently, she ran her fingers through her hair and inspected the sore area at the back of her head. It wasn't too bad, she told herself as she stepped out the shower and inspected her face in the mirror. There was a slight bruise across her left cheekbone, but other than that, she didn't look too bad.

She quickly dried her hair and pulled on her uniform, not even bothering to inspect the bruises across her chest. A bit of make-up covered the bruise on her face, and she left her damp hair down to cover it too. Finally, she picked up her bag as she looked at the clock by her bed. 11 o'clock. Drat, she was in big trouble; Mr Wilding had sad that if she was late to form again, he'd get Miss Mason involved. They were going to go spare when she turned up this late. She only hoped that they wouldn't be able to see the cracks in her normally tough exterior.

She walked downstairs, and remembered about the mess by the door. She paused, wondering what to do, then decided she'd worry about that when she got home; she was late enough already.

She would have jogged the 20 minute walk to school, but pain shot through her chest when she breathed too heavily, so she gave up on that idea and walked as fast as she could.

Eventually, she reached the school gates, just as break ended, and she tried to join the crowds heading back into the building for their next lessons. Unfortunately, Mr Wilding spotted her and pulled her to one side. She flinched away from his grip on her arm, partly scared, but mostly because she already had bruises there. She tried to stop her hands from shaking as Mr Wilding looked at her curiously.

'Are you ok Elle? He asked, concerned.

'Yep, fine.' She answered quickly. Too quickly.

'Where have you been all morning? He asked, not convinced.

'Umm...' Elle didn't know what to say.

'You know what, save it! You can explain yourself to Miss Mason, I've already had to tell her you didn't turn up to form time this morning. Come on!' he said, angrily and ushered her up the stairs towards Miss Mason's office. When they reached it, he peered round the open door and knocked quietly.

'Come in!' Miss Mason said, looking up to see Matt there.

'Oh, hi Matt, I haven't been able to contact Ms Armstrong, she's not answering her phone.' She trailed off when she spotted Elle behind him.

'No need, she's just turned up.' He said, moving to one side and ushering her forwards.

'So, would you like to explain where you've been this morning, when you should have been in school?' Miss Mason asked icily.

Elle looked uncomfortably at the head's stern expression, before answering with the excuse she'd carefully planned on the way to the office.

'My mum had to go to work before I got up this morning, and my alarm didn't go off, so I only woke up just now, the light from the windows eventually woke me, I guess.' She said meekly.

Rachel wasn't overly convinced. She noticed how the girl was pale, and looked as if she'd been crying. There was also a trace of a bruise across her cheek, which her eagle eyes only spotted when the girl pushed her still damp hair behind her ear. Something was wrong, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

'Right.' She said slowly. 'Well, you can stay here for a second while I decide what to do with you. Thank you Mr Wilding.' She said, indicating for him to leave.

Once Mr Wilding left, she closed the door behind him, and looked again at the young girl in front of her. She looked scared, and Rachel hated it. She always took things personally when her students were not happy, as if everything was her fault. It was both a blessing and a curse, as it meant that she was very compassionate towards them, but it did cause her an unnecessary amount of grief, with the number of misbehaving students in her school.

'Sit down.' She said gently, gesturing towards the sofas in the corner of her office.

Elle obligingly sat, and looked expectantly at her teacher as she sat down next to her.

'Is everything ok Elle? Only, you look a little upset.' Miss Mason asked quietly.

Elle looked at her, on one hand, desperate to pour her heart out to the motherly woman, and on the other, too scared and embarrassed to utter a word.

'Is everything alright at home?' She probed. Elle made a strange sound, like a strangled sob, which confirmed Rachel's thoughts. 'Elle? You know we're here to support you, not just teach and lecture? If there's anything wrong, we can help you, only you have to tell us to be able to do anything. Whatever's wrong, we can sort it out, an it will stop here.' She said, putting an arm around the girl's shoulders. Elle sat there, silent, not knowing what to say or do.

Miss Mason sighed, exasperated, and tried a different approach. Walking towards her desk, she said 'I'm going to have to phone your mum about being late, we just can't have students turning up when they please-'

'-No! Please don't, it won't happen again, I promise, it was just one time, really, I won't-'

'-Was it really just one time? Mr Wilding has said that you've been late quite regularly all year. Now, 5 or 10 minutes we can handle, but 3 hours?! I'm sorry, Elle.' She said, as she picked up the phone and tried the number on the screen in front of her again.

Elle looked devastated. If Miss Mason tried to phone her mum, she'd surely realise eventually that her mum wasn't there anymore. And then... what would happen then didn't even bear thinking about.

The look of utter despair Elle's face was enough to stall Miss Mason for a second. Why did she not want her to phone her mum? Rachel's curiosity got the better of her and she put the phone down and looked again at the young girl.

'Elle, what's going on?' she asked directly. 'Why don't you want me to phone your mum?'

'Nothing's going on, I just don't want to get in trouble with her for missing school as well as with you and all the other teachers. It's bad enough already...' Elle trailed off.

'What's 'bad enough already'?' Rachel probed.

'Well, I'm in trouble here for being late, and, well, I just... I don't need to be in trouble everywhere I go...' Elle knew it was pathetic, but she'd let slip that there was something wrong, and she knew she had to cover it somehow.

'Right...' Miss Mason was unconvinced, yet again. It seemed that everything the girl had said so far today had been a lie. Apart from the part about her mum not being home, that seemed to be evident from the fact she wasn't answering the phone.

'Can I go to my lesson now please, Miss?' Elle asked, desperate to get out, before she let something slip.

'No. You're going to spend the rest of the day in the cooler, I'll take you down now.' Miss Mason replied, standing up from her desk and walking towards the door. She opened it, and held her arm out for Elle to go ahead of her.

They walked down the corridors in silence, only broken by the sound of Miss Mason's heels on the hard floor, and eventually reached the cooler. Miss Mason opened the door, and Mr Clarkson looked up from behind the desk at the front, where he was marking a stack of essays. There were no other students in the room, and Elle made her way to the desk at the front which Mr Clarkson gestured to and sat down.

Miss Mason spoke to Mr Clarkson quietly, saying something about truancy, and then left, leaving the classroom in silence, occasionally interrupted by the turning of pages and the sound of Mr Clarkson marking the work in front of him.

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**So, what do you think? x**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, to all my fellow Rachel fans, she'll be in it much more, now 've finally incorporated her into it :) sorry it took so long ;)  
Thanks again to everyone who's supported this so far, it's really encouraging :)**

* * *

Rachel Mason sat in her office, running her hands through her hair in frustration. There was definitely something Elle wasn't telling them, and she hated feeling helpless to her. A light knock at the door brought her back down to earth, and her face lit up to see Eddie Lawson at her door.

'Come in Eddie! What can I do for you?' She asked, as Eddie made himself comfortable on the sofa.

'I just wanted to talk, you know, like friends do. I barely see you anymore!' He said, smiling.

Rachel smiled back, and pointed towards her desk. 'Occupational hazard of being head, I'm afraid. I'm sentenced to death by paperwork!' she joked, joining him on the sofa.

'So, how have you been?' he asked, brushing her hair back behind her ear. Rachel laughed self-consciously and shook out her hair again.

'Good, nothing out of the ordinary, just kids being kids and getting on my nerves!' she answered.

'Oh, right, what is it this time?' Eddie asked, intrigued.

Rachel looked at him, and decided to spill her gut feelings about Elle out.

'Elle Armstrong. Something's not right with her at the moment. Matt says she's been consistently late most mornings this year, then today, she turned up at about 11:30, shaken up, and with a slight bruise, obscured by make-up, on her face. She didn't say much, and was really jumpy when I threatened to phone home. There's something she's not telling us, and it's really bugging me!' She explained, and Eddie laughed. 'What's funny?' She inquired.

'You!' Eddie replied. 'Whenever a student acts out of character, you always seem to take it very personally. Why?'

'We have a duty of care! We have to look out for these kids, some of them have awful home lives, and we're the only ones they can truly trust...' Rachel trailed off, spotting a familiar figure hanging around by the school gates. 'Surely not!' she murmured.

'What was that?' Eddie asked, noticing the distraction and change in tone. He followed Rachel's gaze to the man standing outside. He had messy blonde hair, and was relatively tall, with a good figure. He was also well dressed, in a black suit, and was standing by a fancy sports car.

'Who's he?' Eddie asked, and looked at Rachel. It was only then he noticed she had gone quite pale. He hadn't seen her like this since Stuart Hordley had revealed her past to the entire school. 'Maybe he's someone from her past. He certainly looks like that sort of guy...' Eddie thought.

'Rachel, are you ok?' Eddie asked, concerned. He put his arm round her waist, as she looked like she could collapse at any minute. 'Rachel!' he raised his voice to get her attention.

Rachel turned round to look back at him, shaky.

'Who is he?' Eddie asked urgently.

'A bad person. Come on!' she said, stalking out of the office, down the stairs and out into the playground towards the gates.

'Adam!' she yelled at the blonde man. He turned to look at her, and smirked. Rachel noticed 3 long scratches down his left cheek, and was horrified of the implications of that particular type of injury to a man like him.

'Ah, _Amanda_, what a surprise, it's been a long time since-'

'-Get away from here before I phone the police!' she yelled angrily

'Whoa, whoa, calm down, it's a free country, I have every right to stand on this pavement, just as you do.' He said, silkily.

'Clear off! I don't want you near my school, now scram, before I make you!'

'Oohh I'm scared.' He joked, but obediently got into his car and started the engine. He rolled down the window and leaned across to speak to Rachel.

'Nice to see you again _Amanda_!' he said, laughing as he drove off.

'Cocky git!' Rachel exclaimed, as she turned to walk back into the school with Eddie, who had stood by the gate, amazed by the whole thing. He'd never seen Rachel like that, so angry. He wondered why.

'Who is he?' Eddie asked again, curious.

'He was my boss. He makes his money by exploiting young girls, so you can understand why I want nothing to do with him, and why I don't want him near my school.' Rachel snapped. She instantly regretted being angry at Eddie, and apologised.

'Sorry, I didn't meant to... he just makes me so...arrgggg!' she exclaimed.

'It's ok, sorry, I had no idea!' Eddie apologised. 'Come on, let's get back inside, eh?'

* * *

Mr Clarkson let Elle out early to go to lunch, but she wasn't very hungry, so she sat poking food around her plate, waiting for Sally. All she wanted right now was a big hug from her best friend, the only person who had any clue what was going on. But she couldn't tell anyone what had happened last night. She was too embarrassed. Yes, nothing had actually happened, but she was also scared of what he'd do to her if he found out she'd told someone. Once again, she thanked God that the girls were on a trip, so they were safe, for now.

'Elle!' Sally's call snapped her out of her daydream. 'Where were you? I was worried!'

'Sorry, slept through the alarm, and the girls are away, obviously, so there was no-one to wake me up...' Elle laughed it out, but it ran cold, and Sally noticed the change in her friend. Something was wrong, and she wondered what. She desperately wanted to know, to comfort her friend, but Elle didn't look like she was about to tell anyone, which made Sally even more scared. She gave it a try anyway.

'What's happened, you look upset.' She said. 'Has something happened to the girls?' She thought aloud.

'No, no, they're fine, I guess, I haven't heard from them since they went to Cornwall...'

'Then what?' Sally asked, knowing there was definitely something up.

'Nothing, I'm fine, just tired, that's all.' Elle snapped back and stood up, beginning to walk away.

'Oh, ok.' Sally didn't push it further, but Elle's behaviour was scaring her, and she knew she had to tell a teacher. She didn't want to go straight to Miss Mason, but she didn't know who else she could talk to. She got up and put her plate away, and was walking aimlessly through the corridors, when she bumped into Miss Campbell.

'Whoa, look where you're going!' Miss Campbell exclaimed, surprised.

'Oh, sorry.' Sally said quietly, and turned to walk past.

Kim looked at her, and instantly noticed something was wrong with the girl. She was usually bubbly and smiling, but she looked rather downcast.

'What's wrong Sally?' she asked gently, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Sally looked at her, and a light bulb went off in her mind. Of course! Miss Campbell was in charge of pastoral care, she was the logical person to go to with her problem.

'Can I talk to you? In private?' She asked.

'Of course you can!' Kim replied, wondering what on earth was wrong with the girl. 'Come with me.' She said, and led the way back down the corridor to her office.

* * *

**So, bit more plot development... what do you all think :) (sorry, I know I ask that a lot...)**


	9. Chapter 9

**So, i'm glad people liked the latest twist :) and just to clear up any confusion, it wasn't meant to be Adam Fleet mentioned previously (as the 'bad guy'), I'd tried to pick a relatively common name that wasn't a character name, and forgot all about him, oops ;) still, you're all welcome to use your imaginations in that sense ;)**

* * *

Elle made her way back to the cooler after lunch, and was horrified to see her form tutor, Mr Wilding there. Of course, the teachers did it on a rota, but the last thing she wanted to do was to spend the afternoon stuck in a classroom with him, we would undoubtedly notice that something was wrong, and question her about it. She didn't want to tell anybody what was going on, but it was getting harder and harder to hide it from everyone.

Mr Wilding looked up as the door opened. 'Oh, hello Elle.' He said, and pointed towards the seat at the front. Elle sat down, but had not work left to do, so she just sat there.

Matt noticed that she wasn't working, and looked up. 'Have you not got any work to do?' He asked her, and she shook her head. He sighed, and walked to the cupboard at the back of the class, and picked out a book.

'To Kill a Mockingbird?' Elle questioned as he put it down in front of her.

'It's a good book!' He said defensively.

Elle reluctantly picked it up, and as she did so, she felt blood run down her face. She tried to cover it, but Mr Wilding noticed, and was by her side instantly.

'Elle? Are you ok? What's happened?' he asked urgently.

'I don't know!' Elle panicked.

'Ok, ok, here, just...hold this against it and wait for it to stop.' Mr Wilding said, handing her a tissue, which Elle held to her bleeding nose. As she did so, the door opened, and Miss Campbell walked in.

'Sorry Matt, can I speak to Elle a second...' she trailed off when she saw the blood over the table. 'What's happened?' she asked.

'I have no idea!' Matt said, looking back at Elle, then back at Kim, and shrugging.

Kim walked over to Elle and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. 'Elle, Sally told me what's been going on.' Elle's face fell, and she pulled away the tissue, relieved to find the bleeding had stopped. 'Why didn't you tell someone sooner?' She asked gently.

Elle could hold it on no longer, and broke down into tears. 'I didn't want them to take my sisters away, so I couldn't tell anyone. I was just trying to keep us together! I'm sorry!' she wailed, and buried her head into Miss Campbell's shoulder. Kim rubbed the girl's back to soothe her, and Matt just stood there, confused by what was going on.

'I'll explain later.' She mouthed at him. 'Come on, let's get you to Miss Mason's office, hey?' Miss Campbell said to Elle, and picked up the girl's bag and guided her out of the room.

* * *

Rachel looked up as she heard a knock at her door, and saw Kim. 'Come in!' she said, smiling. Her smile turned to confusion when she saw Elle, who looked like she'd been crying, and had traces of blood around her nose still.

'What's happened?' She asked, shocked, as she guided the girl to a seat on the sofa, and turned to Kim.

'We don't know.' Kim replied, honestly. 'I'd just walked into the cooler to speak to her, and saw her like that. Matt had given her tissues, but nobody knows why...'

'Elle?' Miss Mason turned to the girl. 'Have you had a head injury recently?' she asked, worried.

Elle looked up at her teachers. She wanted nothing more than to spill out her feelings and be comforted. She wanted a big hug, and for someone to tell her it was all going to be ok, and that they'd look after her. She wanted to be able to go home, safely, and live together with her sisters and a parental figure. And, much as she hated her for what she did to them, Elle wanted her mum. It was all too much, and for the third time that day, she burst into tears. She hated the teachers seeing her like that, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. She cried and cried, and as she did so, she felt someone sit down next to her and put their arm round her to try and comfort her.

'That's it, just let it all out.' Miss Mason said gently to the sobbing girl, pulling her into a hug. Elle buried her head into Miss Mason's chest and cried hysterically. After a few minutes, Elle calmed down, wiped her eyes with a tissue from the box Miss Campbell passed from the head's desk, and turned to the teachers. They both gasped, and Elle wondered why.

'Elle, what happened?' Miss Mason asked, gently touching the bruise on the girl's face, which looked much worse now her make-up had rubbed off.

Elle looked at her, took a deep breath, and dived into the story.

'Last night, this guy came to my house, said he was my mum's friend and that she owed him money. I recognised him as her old boss, and tried to get him to go away, but he wouldn't and he came into the house.' Elle shuddered at the memory, and the 2 women looked at each other nervously, hoping this wasn't going to go the way they were both thinking.

'I told him mum wasn't there, and he said that he knew that, and he'd come to rob the house, but a new 'employee' would be better for business.' Another small sob escaped from Elle's lips.

'Then he...he...' Elle couldn't continue, and ducked her head to try and hide the silent tears.

Rachel suddenly remembered Adam being outside the gates, and instantly was filled with anger as she began to join the dots.

'Elle, did he...you know...' She didn't know how to phrase it. 'Elle, did he sexually assault you?' she asked, finally.

Elle looked up, and took a few shaky breaths before answering.

'No. But he was going to. He pinned me against the wall and I didn't know what else to do, so I kneed him between the legs and he fell to the floor. I tried to run away, but he grabbed my leg as I ran past and I fell, and hit my head on something. Then he sat on me, and he was going to... but I scratched him, and there was blood pouring down his face, and then he got really angry and stood up. He kicked me a few times and then he left. The next thing I remember was waking up in a pool of blood this morning, and being late to school.' Elle finished, and breathed a shaky sigh of relief. It was so good to get that all off her chest and into the hands of people who could do something about it.

Both the teachers had gone pale, horrified at the thought of what had almost happened to the trembling 15 year old girl sitting in front of them. Kim thought back to several years ago, when she'd had a close encounter with Lewis Seddon, and how awful and violated she'd felt. She shuddered at the memory and put a supportive hand on Elle's shoulder.

Rachel's mind was full of memories from her previous, less respectable career. It had been awful, and was a period of her life she preferred not to dwell on, but she remembered all the problems that Adam had caused for her when she worked for him, and was full of anger.

She turned to Elle, and asked quietly 'The man, did he have messy blonde hair, and a medium height and build?' Elle looked up at her, fear in her eyes, and nodded, scared.

Rachel stood up and walked to her desk. Picking up the phone, she dialled 999 and asked for the police. 'Yes, hi, it's Rachel Mason from Waterloo Road School here. Yes... Hi, Yes I'd like to report and assault on a young girl... Yes, his name's Adam...No, sorry... Yes, I can, he's roughly 6 foot tall, long blonde messy hair, and he currently has 3 scratch marks across his left cheek. Yes... Yes. Thank you. Goodbye.' Rachel put the phone down and turned back to the others.

'They're going to arrest him now. You did the right thing, and that was very brave, coming forward and telling us that. It's over now, it stops here.' She said, and pulled the young girl into a hug.

'Thank you.' Elle choked, crying from relief and emotional tiredness. 'Thank you so much.' Rachel smiled at her, keeping an arm round her shoulders.

Kim cleared her throat, and Rachel turned to look at her.

'That's not all.' She said simply, before looking at Elle for confirmation. Elle nodded slightly and Kim continued.

'Elle's mum wasn't there because she disappeared after walking out on Elle and her sisters in July. Sally came to me earlier, worried and explained what she knew. Elle had apparently confided in her, and Sally had done her best to help her, but she'd got worried when Elle didn't turn up this morning and eventually decided she couldn't keep it to herself anymore.'

Kim turned to Elle and spoke to her directly. 'She was really upset, and didn't want to betray your trust, but she did the right thing. I hope you realise that.'

Elle nodded. 'I'm not angry at her. Actually, I'm kind of glad she did, now I don't have to keep it secret anymore.' She explained, relieved.

Miss Mason looked at the young girl and asked 'Why didn't you say something sooner? You're 15, you should never have to look after your little sisters by yourself, no-one would expect you to have to.' She said, sympathetically, taking the girl's still shaking hands.

'I had to!' She wailed. 'If I'd told anyone, they would take my little sisters away, and I didn't want that! I only wanted to keep us together.' She cried. 'Please, you can't tell the authorities!' she cried again, and Miss Mason pulled her into another supportive hug.

'Elle, love, I'm afraid we have to. You can't look after them, that's not fair on you or them. You all deserve better than that. You've done your best, and I understand why, but you've got to let us do what's best for the 3 of you now, please?' Miss Mason said, rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her.

Elle looked at her teacher, and saw the earnest expression on her face. Finally, defeated, she nodded in agreement, and Miss Mason stood up to go back to her phone again.

'Can I speak to Sally?' Elle asked suddenly.

The 2 teachers looked at each other and agreed.

'Sure, I'll go get her from her class now.' Said Miss Campbell, and she left the office, as Miss Mason dialled the number for social services and spoke quietly on the phone. Eventually, she put the phone down and turned back to Elle.

'I've explained to them that it's really important to you that the 3 of you stay together, and they're going to see what they can do.' She said, and Elle smiled.

'Thank you, thank you so much for everything you've done for me.' She said, almost tearful again.

Rachel smiled. 'That's what I'm here for, I'm not just a scary dictator, I do actually care about the welfare of my students!' She said, making Elle smile again.

Miss Campbell then came back, with Sally following her, and Elle instantly got up and pulled her best friend into a big hug.

'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! You were right, I should have told someone, then none of this would ever have happened. I should never have made you keep it secret either, and I'm sorry if I worried or upset you, you're my best friend and I could never ask for anything more...' Elle sobbed.

Sally smiled. 'I'm just glad that you're not mad that I told Miss Campbell!' she said.

'Of course I'm not, it was the right thing to do, and I'm glad you did!' Elle replied.

The 2 girls sat chatting aimlessly for a bit, while Rachel and Kim ran through the events of the day in their minds, still not quite believing what had happened.

There was a knock on the door, and all 4 young women turned around to see a woman in a navy suit, carrying various files in her arms.

'Susannah Hall, social services.' She introduced herself.

'Rachel Mason, headmistress' Rachel responded.

'Come on Sally, let's leave them to it.' Said Miss Campbell, and they left the room.

'Elle, I presume? I think you'll be quite happy with the arrangement we've found, here...'

* * *

**So, major****ly long chapter, but I couldn't find a good natural break in it, so I kept going instead...  
Obviously, now that the main plot line is coming to a close, the story will probably end soon, I don't want to drag it out... what do you all think?**


	10. Chapter 10

**So, last chapter, this is more of an ending than a chapter, so it's really quite short, sorry :/ I just wanted a nice, happy ending ;)**  
**I hope you have all enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it! :) 3 xx**

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'Elle, Maddy, breakfast's ready!' Called their foster dad from the kitchen, where he sat with Lottie, helping her do her pancakes.

'Ok, just coming!' Elle called back, putting the final touches to her make-up and straightening out the creases in her new uniform.

She grabbed her bag and made her way across the modern, open plan apartment to the kitchen, where she grabbed a plate of pancakes and began to devour them.

'Mmmm, these are so good!' She smiled as she finished off the last few bites.

'Well, I'm glad you like my cooking...'

'I still can't believe you're our foster dad! Isn't it going to be a bit weird for you? It certainly is for me. Not that that's a bad thing!'

Matt smiled. 'Well, after Sam Kelly, you 3 should be a doddle!' he said, and laughed. 'Gosh, she could be such a nightmare! Good kid, but sometimes really quite crazy...' he reminisced.

Elle walked back into the kitchen area to wash up her plate, and Matt followed. 'Mr Wilding?' she asked.

'Please, Matt! Only 'Mr Wilding' at school, ok!' he said, smiling.

'Ok, Matt. I just wanted to say thank you. For taking all 3 of us, and keeping us together.' Elle said quietly, and smiled.

'It's ok, I wouldn't want you to get split up, no-one does. Just, I might need a bigger apartment if this becomes a long-term arrangement!' he said, winking, and Elle laughed.

'Right, come on then, time to drop the monkeys off at their school and head off to ours, yeah?' Matt said, tickling Lottie as he lifted her out of her seat, and the 4 of them made their way to the apartment car park, as one happy family.

* * *

**So after all the amazing feedback, I've decided I will definitely write another fic, and will try to continue with these characters, but as a sequel. (which, believe me, had not been my original plan, but you're all just too lovely and persuasive!)**

**The only slight problem I have is that, mostly, my ideas come to me during daydreams, procrastination or otherwise finding ways to avoid revising for my A-Levels. (Which, thankfully, are now over for this year!) Mostly, my writing style is therefore 'free-write and then refine ideas into chapters that make sense' if you get what I mean!**

**Which means I may have to wait until a new idea strikes me. **

**Luckily for you, I often get my initial ideas from actual characters or episodes from the show, like, this one was loosely based from Sally Froggatt's plot line, where I thought about other possible endings, and then thought about some of my other favourite characters, e.g. Sam, and it a spiralled out from there... Unfortunately, it took several months to refine the plot line in my mind, then a few weeks after that to actually start properly writing it, so this could take a while... but if you guys want more, I guess I'll have to watch more episodes for inspiration, so watch this space ;) **

**Only bit that really annoys me is that you can't watch series 5 on YouTube (or on the internet anywhere...), which is where I've got to...**

**But if anyone has any particular requests, bright ideas, or any other general feedback, I really would love to hear it! (one last time?)**

**I have a few ideas, but they need a lot of developing before they could even be considered a story...**

**Bye for now, hope you enjoyed this as much as I did :) xxx**


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